Up to code: Keep current with coding

Practicing psychologists need to know almost as much about billing codes as they do about their patients. Every year, the American Medical Association (AMA) publishes thousands of Current Procedural Terminology® (CPT) codes that psychologists and other health care providers use to bill insurers for treatment. The manual includes psychotherapy, health and behavior, and testing codes that are revised periodically by the AMA CPT Editorial Panel. This panel is responsible for ensuring that CPT codes remain up to date and incorporate the latest treatments and technology used to provide medical care.

The American Psychological Association works with the AMA CPT Editorial Panel to keep the manual updated. Psychologists also play a role in establishing the value of new codes when they complete Relative Value Update (RUC) surveys. AMA uses RUC survey responses from psychologists and other health care providers to help review the relative values of new and revised CPT codes.﻿

Anticipated Code Changes

Currently, psychological and neuropsychological testing CPT codes are being revised by the AMA CPT Editorial Panel. APA is heavily involved with this process. Here’s what psychologists need to know:

The final testing code revisions would “differentiate technician administration of psychological testing and neuropsychological testing from physician/psychologist administration and assessment of testing.” In the past, existing codes have caused confusion about who is performing these tests.

APA is making refinements to testing codes that will be submitted to AMA for publication in a future CPT manual.

Practicing psychologists can now follow the progress of the code revisions by reading summaries of CPT Editorial Panel meetings online. In previous years, because of the confidential nature of the code development process, most psychologists and other health care practitioners were unaware of code changes until the new or revised codes were published in the annual CPT codebook.

APA has collaborated with AMA for many years to ensure that the work of practicing psychologists is taken into consideration when developing new CPT codes and revising existing codes. APA President Antonio E. Puente, PhD, even served two terms on the AMA CPT Editorial Panel and was an advisor to the panel from 1992-2007. Additionally, APA’s ﻿Office on Health Care Financing is dedicated to working on CPT codes.

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​In a multi-divisional effort led by the Division of Aging and the APA Practice Organization, SCN participated in the drafting of a letter to the World Health Organization regarding the proposal to shift the Dementias from the Behavioral section of the ICD to the Neurology section.

The letter asserts that these changes are inconsistent with the conceptual framework of the ICD (e.g., disorders are typically classified by both behavioral manifestations and etiology) and will likely have a deleterious impact for psychologists' ability to bill for diagnostic evaluations and treatment. The final letter was signed by the APA President, Dr. Tony Puente.

Appointments are for 3-year terms, beginning in mid-August 2017. Please contact Becky Ready, outgoing PIAC chair, for application instructions (ready@psych.umass.edu). Of note, these positions are not for students or post-docs. Students - including post-docs - interested in serving on SCN committees should contact April Thames at athames@mednet.ucla.edu.

Summary of Recent APA Council Meeting in February:

1. Council adopted as APA policy the following clinical/professional practice guidelines:

Clinical Guidelines for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Professional Practice Guidelines for Occupationally–Mandated Psychological Evaluations

2. Council adopted as APA policy the following resolutions:

Resolution on the Use of Multiple Indicators for Admission to Graduate Programs in Psychology, Resolution on Human Trafficking in the United States, Especially of Women and Girls, and Resolution on Promoting Global Perspectives in U.S. Psychology.

3. Amendments to APA Bylaws:

Council voted to approve forwarding to the Membership amendments to Article V of the Bylaws which update descriptions of the Board of Directors leadership roles and responsibilities to comply with current IRS requirements. A ballot will be sent to the Membership for a vote on May 1, 2017. This ballot is being sent in May (instead of November) in order to meet IRS timelines for clarifying APA’s compliance with tax requirements.

Council also voted to approve forwarding to the Membership amendments to Article V, Section 7 of the Bylaws which will ensure one seat on the Council of Representatives for each Division and State, Provincial and Territorial Psychological Association. The ballot will be sent to the Membership for a vote on November 1, 2017. If approved by the Membership, it will apply to the Apportionment Ballot for the 2019 legislative year.

4. Action Taken in Response to the Independent Review Report:

Council voted to receive the Report of the Work Group on Task Force Selection and requested that ad hoc groups be appointed using a selection process that considers multiple criteria, including diversity broadly defined and skills or competencies relevant to the ad hoc group’s mission.

Council voted to receive the Report of the Civility Principles Work Group and approved the following recommendations of the Work Group: 1) online culture/civility checks be used after each Council meeting, 2) clear civility guidelines and expectations be added to the orientation of new Council members, and 3) Council receive regular reminders for civility expectations (including for listservs). Council also requested that the Civility Principles Work Group develop an implementation plan for the above recommendations and bring the plan back to Council at its August 2017 meeting.

Council voted to adopt as APA policy a set of Conflict of Interest Principles that will apply to any person serving on an APA task force, work group, board, committee, the Board of Directors or Council of Representatives.

5. Additional Action Taken by Council:

Council voted to extend for a period of three year the delegation of authority to the Board of Directors for the following areas:

Financial and budget matters, with the exception of:

1) any single, unbudgeted item that exceeds $3 million or

2) sale of Association real estate, hiring , evaluation and support of the CEO,assuring alignment of the budget with the APA Strategic Plan, and internally focused policy development.